4Best Beatles Movie

Posted: 07/08/2012

The most satisfying Beatles movie by virtue of the fact they're not in it; save for a cameo at the end, the voices are provided by actors so you're not constantly being drawn out of the narrative by wooden acting.

Musically it's a mixed bag; there are a few classics, but the new songs written for the movie are nothing special.

It's very much a product of the 60s, but the animation is serviceable, and the plot allows for plenty of interesting visuals, songs and one-liners. If you're a Beatles fan or are looking for a kid's film that's a little different to Disney fare, then this is definitely worth a look.

4Inconsistent, but full of classics.

Posted: 21/10/2011

You certainly get variety with this compilation, although perhaps a more judicious single-disc option might have been better. There are plenty of excellent tracks, but if you like the indie pop sound of their later output, then you might find a lot of the earlier punk songs aren't to your liking.

3Decent Films, Dodgy Boxset

Posted: 02/05/2011

The first couple of Screams are solid, knowing horrors, with some decent scares and twists. For the third, a different writer came on board, and everything is a little less interesting. However, even if you like the films, this boxset isn't worth getting for two reasons: (1) The sticker on the front of the box removes the lettering when you peel it away and (2) the first two discs were made before widescreen TVs, so the picture is squashed unless you manually zoom in, which reduces picture quality.

3OK for a first smartphone.

A nice little phone, that does all it needs to do, but with three flaws:

(1) The back is very hard to get off; the manual suggests you can just flick it off with a fingernail, but in the end I had to prize it off with a screwdriver, leaving scratches.

(2) Poor resolution; possibly not noticeable if you've never had a smartphone before, but the text is quite blocky and unclear.

(3) Not very responsive; for a capacitive screen, I didn't find this is a very easy phone to navigate. This could be down to the processor, but making onscreen selections can be less intuitive than using an old-style resistive screen.

4Strong Start for Craig

Posted: 08/02/2011

Certainly the best-written Bond, this movie expands on the novel with some exciting set-pieces, while ditching the gadgets and going for a much more rough-and-ready hero (very few quips from Craig; you're much more likely to get kicked in the face).

This Blu-ray version has an excellent picture transfer, to the point where you can see the deliberate grain introduced into some of the black-and-white sequences. The surround sound is also excellent.

The packaging is also high quality so this is currently the best version of Casino Royale there is.

3Crank Boys Play it Straight

While this film has some interesting things to say about the Xbox generation, and contains some decent performances, it's not nearly as watchable as the Crank movies.

However, it's still a sometimes-funny visceral experience, with camera moves and action sequences that betray it's extremely low-budget roots.

What we essentially have here is a Running Man rip-off for the new millennium, but at least the makers aren't trying to hide this fact. There are a lot of good elements in this movie, but it's not really one that I'd insist any of my mates watched.

4Interesting Easy Listening

Posted: 23/01/2011

Despite the somewhat sexual sounding song titles, this is all pretty much light indie rock territory. After one listen it doesn't sound like anything special, but there are some very nice hooks hidden in the melodies, and with some strong lyrics this is definitely worth a purchase.

5All the genius of Sean Lock, in a sit-com.

Originally broadcast in 2002 and 2004, this must have been pretty well hidden in the schedules as most of his modern audience seem unaware of it.

Somehow, Sean has managed to build an excellent sit-com around his dour stage presence that is just as good as any popular / acclaimed TV comedy from the past ten years.

While not exactly an ensemble piece, there are plenty of memorable characters and cameos, but it is the wonderful chemistry between Sean Lock and Benedict Wong that make this a joy and extremely watchable comedy.

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